LAFAYETTE COUNTY – A woman reported missing in the Sardis Lake bottom was found alive Monday afternoon after a multi-agency search, according to the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies were called around 8:56 a.m. Sept. 14 to the southeast area of the Sardis Lake bottom for a report of a missing person.
Authorities said Mariah Estes of Abbeville had been riding an ATV with another person when the vehicle became disabled. The two decided that one person would walk out to get help while Estes stayed behind with the ATV.
The Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team, Lafayette County Fire Department Search and Rescue, Lafayette County Emergency Management Agency K9 and Incident Response Team, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks joined the search.
Deputies found Estes alive around 1:51 p.m.
Paramedics with the Lafayette County Fire Department and Baptist Ambulance Service reached Estes on foot and began treating her while rescuers developed a plan to get her out of the lake bottom.
Firefighters, deputies and wildlife officers moved Estes to a clear area, where Hospital Wing of Oxford was able to transport her to Baptist North Mississippi.
Authorities said Estes was in stable condition when she was transported. Her condition had not been updated at the time of the sheriff’s office release.
Sheriff Joey East praised the cooperation between the agencies involved.
“This is exactly the kind of teamwork we train for, multiple agencies coming together with a single goal,” East said. “Most of all, we’re thankful this situation had a positive outcome and that Ms. Estes is safe.”
